Zander looked down upon Menaihya with barely constrained concern. Few people knew of what he was and what he had done, but it had just seemed difficult to keep up the lying facade with her tonight. She most assuredly knew it by now, but he didn't care about her knowing, only about her perception of it. It was still a strange feeling to Zander, this caring what people thought. He was only getting used to socialising again. He had been trying for the best part of a year now, but he still did things wrong sometimes. And tonight proved that fact, to him at least.

Maybe she won't care. Maybe she will. What do you care? You got on well enough before you met her, you will do okay afterwards he thought. But it didn't have much strength behind it. For some reason he would care and he smiled at his own foolishly contradictory nature. It always seemed to appear out of nowhere, and at the worst possible times, leaving him in hot water more often than not recently. And then she spoke, her soft hands brushing downwards fro his chest and ending at her sides after finishing a graceful arc of sorts.

“Zander Kilgas, go for your swim.” Menaihya commanded in a low, soft voice. Zander thought it had a trace of huskiness about it, but he didn't pay much mind to the tone of voice, but what she had said. She must know! So why did she just tell me to go for a swim? She didn't even comment on it at all. Unless.....she doesn't know, or she doesn't care his thoughts came rapidly. Zander would prefer the latter, but accept any if them as they came, dealing with them as appropriate. Though it would have been good to know what she was thinking behind her eyes, about what had shaken her Aes Sedai exterior and shot through to her core, to where she kept herself contained. He shot her a quizzical look before setting of at a slow walk towards the smooth surface of the lake. Do you know? Are you clever enough to know? What do you think? were the questions he tried to convey in that look.

He reached the edge of the lake, it's surface smooth and undisturbed. It looked rather like an untarnished mirror glinting in the moonlight to him, and once more his romantic side was brought through to the surface as he toyed with the idea of composing a small poem to honour this interesting night. Then he chuckled and dove into the water.

He almost gasped with the chill that rippled through his head, down his back and legs. It felt like all of the cold in the world was trying to burrow its way into his bones permanently. He pulled his arms and used his muscle to drag himself as far as he dared through the icy waters before breaking the surface. His head broke the surface, leaving his hair plastered to his head if it was out of the water and flowing behind him like a mane if it was in the water. He alternated strokes as he made his way rapidly towards the far bank, concentrating as much as he could on breathing and stroking. He tried not to let any of tonight’s events intrude upon this time of tranquilly, but invariably his mind was always too curious for its own good. As he swam he tried to puzzled Menaihya out, but it only le him in twisted circles of thought, leaving him with more questions than he had started with. A confusing and intriguing woman. At times she is icy Aes Sedai, at others fiery and yet again another time melancholy. It would take a long time to puzzle her out. Well, certainly not one night. I wonder if I will see her again, ever? he thought sadly. He certainly wanted to see her again. Very few people had actually decided of their own accord to spend time with him, and he treasured each one who did higher than the gold he had in his house. He would trade it all away if it meant saving those people.\

He had reached the far bank of the lake now, and decided to sit on it for a few minutes, to relax and get a breather in before returning to his companion tonight. He heaved himself out of the cool waters and lay down on his back, propping himself up with his elbows. His gaze took in the flowers and the stars, but was soon drawn to Menaihya on the far bank. She seemed to be looking out across the waters, looking for something. Probably wondering where I've gone he decided to himself. Letting the cool night air caress his skin, he watched her walk up and down a bit before he sighed and slid back into the waters once more. He quickened his strokes for this length, to make up for his time on the bank. He realised that he found it easier to swim this length than he had when he had first come to the Black Tower. I guess this place really does get you to the pinnacle of fitness he thought. And then he saw Menaihya in just her shift, and he almost stopped his strokes. It clung to her beautifully formed frame, the wind rippling it out behind her slightly. But he had no time for that now; Menaihya was walking towards the waters.

What are you doing you fool bloody woman! You know you can't swim! Don't do it! he raged at her. But she walked straight on, head held high and imperious. Zander cursed in the privacy of his own skull and quickened his pace still, quicker and quicker, until he was sure this was as fast as he had seen anyone swim before in his life. You will not bloody commit bloody suicide on my bloody watch he thought between breaths, growling to himself with the strain that his increased speed was exerting on his body.

She dove into the water when he was but thirty paces or so from her and he doubled his already fast paced stroking, kicking out viciously at the waters. Oh Light! What the bloody hell are you doing? he thought as he wondered if he would reach her in time. And then he dove, his eyes open and being stung by the water. He kicked his way downwards, diving and diving, scanning the darkness. And then, just as he was despairing, he caught a glimpse of a familiar form falling slowly and frantically kicking and stroking at the waters. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her body upwards through the water and towards the bank. Their heads broke the surface and he breathed in what seemed his first breath in an age. He dragged her through the water as she coughed and spluttered water out of her lungs, and getting to the edge of the bank he leaned her against it slightly as she shuddered and tried to gain control of herself once more. Fool bloody woman! Light blind them he thought between gasps of air. When he was finally able to speak it came out in an angry question.

“Are you crazy? If you had wanted to swim, why didn’t you tell me so? You knew you couldn’t on your own!” he told her tersely, whilst suddenly realising that he was holding a very pretty woman in a wet shift that left very little to the imagination, and whose legs were entangled in his in the waters below. He tried to put it out of his mind but failed miserably.

You found me a reason, Zander Kilgas, for me to want to be here, more than up there.” she said whilst brushing a few loose strands of water-darkened hair from her face. I came to get your attention. Because I want to ask you something. As you have so graciously pointed out earlier, I am a Green without a Warder. I have not felt the necessity to have one in most of my Aes Sedai years, but I know that sooner or later I will have to begin my search for one. That search, is probably going to be arduous and a waste of my time. Save me that effort. Would you consider being my Warder, Zander Kilgas?” she asked him with the occasional pause or shudder that paused the talk.

He had become more and more shocked as she went on with her words, but the last echoed in his mind and he was momentarily stunned. She wants me as her Warder? But I can't even help myself half of the time! he thought.

"So let me get this straight," he said as his arms became tight with tension as they held her above the water. "You tried to commit suicide because you wanted to ask me to consider being your Warder? You could've just bloody asked you know! And I'm not being funny, but Warders are supposed to protect their Aes Sedai, and if you're going to throw yourself into a lake every time you want my attention it may be a bit difficult" he finished, staring directly into her eyes. This got a merry trickle of laughter from her as her eyes closed and her head dropped to rest on his shoulder in mirth.

"But, having said that," he continued, "As long as you promise to never try and get killed just to get my attention, then I would be honoured, I truly would, Menaihya Sedai, no longer the Warderless Green" he finished with a laugh for himself and at his situation.

"I promise you that I suppose" was what she simply said, with an emotional undercurrent to her voice that her couldn't quite identify. He kissed her forehead.

"Now, seeing as you're in the water now, would you like me to teach you how to swim?" he asked her, once more the merry and mischievous Zander he had been before.

OOC; Well there you go! It has been decided I suppose. Did you want to carry on with the string until we run out of every possible avenue of writing? Because I was thinking we need to defend our position from the word count title stealing Taryn *peers around to see if she is near* ;)

He finally pieced together an answer. “Well, firstly I can see that you are troubled by something, and what better way to forget than to do something relaxing that you can enjoy?” She wasn’t blind to ... more

What Under the Light are you Doing!?  Dedicated Zander Kilgas,Mon Oct 30 03:11

The hilarity of the situation seeped out of her when he spoke of no more suicides, and she readily agreed in a tumult of laughter—it hadn’t even been one, and had it been, she would have been ashamed ... more

“No, I do not particularly wish to learn to swim. My purpose in the water was served. Good solid ground under my feet again would be nice.” Menaihya returned to his offer. He smiled, but he couldn't... more